Minnows

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I can report no problems from feeding adult snakes live rosy reds/goldfish when scented pinkies weren't accepted.
No stunted growth, no jerky movements, and no abnormalities in litters. In fact, my female eastern who was fed primarily on tilapia/salmon chunks dusted with calcium carbonate/reptocal had the largest number of casualties in her litter.

My garters get a primarily mice diet... as well as all the major garter breeders I know of... and they all do great. I personally CAN report that a diet involving goldfish is fatal. All my garter snakes from my younger, inexperienced years (going on 7-8 years keeping garters now) are DEAD. and It is my fault for feeding them all those fatty, nutritionally incomplete, thiaminase ridden fish. Scott felzer feed his snakes only rodents... and I have seen them in person, they are BIG, they are robust and healthy, they throw large litters and they are AWESOME! I am not saying a rodent only diet is ideal, because IMO, it's not, but I can say that I have seen the long term effects of a diet including thiaminase containing fishes, a diet including variations of safe fishes and rodents, and a diet consisting of purely rodents.

The latter two have proven to produce long lived, healthy, robust snakes. What others do with their snakes is not something I can control, but I do not see how it is worth a risk when evidence has shown time and time again, even if SOME snakes APPEAR to be okay on this diet, that it causes a slow, seizuring death in many. All of the snakes I mentioned before hand... died in that exact manner. They lost their ability to control their movement. Ever since I learned about the thiaminase problem and have been feeding pinkies and salmon with a supplement, I have healthier, bigger, heavier, better feeding babies and robust happy adults. And best of all.... none of them are dieing from thiaminase like effects. Sure... we all lose one time to time... but at least i know I'm not doing it myself with the diet I use.

a customer of mine just lost his girl ribbon snake of 8 years old that had been eating goldfish. It was only 2 feet long... which is puny for an adult female ribbon... do i think that her diet contributed, and most likely, caused her death? absolutely. Do I think that her diet caused her to remain so small and dainty even though she was eating 3-4 days a week? absolutley. I consider her a casualty that I was unfortinately too late to save.

[Zephyr]

I am wondering where everyone keeps their minnows in? What size tank and do i have to buy a pump and filter for them? Im thinking of buying 20 Minnows.

From my experience with rosey reds, (minnows, tuffies, etc)
these guys need a lot of oxygen turnover.
If you intend on breeding, go with a 20 gallon long.
If it's just for temporary housing, a 10 gallon minimally equipped.
Either tank should have some sort of filter (sponge filters work good here) AND an aerator that has at least 1/3 of the surface of the tank being overturned/bubbled.

[Lori P]

Good point Kyle-- I meant to point that out-- I had to add an aerator, was loosing them at a high rate till I did.

[jitami]

Thanks Shannon You do have the experience I was looking for... and have talked/worked with others who have more

I'm really leaning toward rodent only... which is pretty much what I've done for Sly for the last 5 years It was only that first year that he was on almost exclusively rosey reds.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Thanks Shannon You do have the experience I was looking for... and have talked/worked with others who have more

I'm really leaning toward rodent only... which is pretty much what I've done for Sly for the last 5 years It was only that first year that he was on almost exclusively rosey reds.

haha... thanks... i don't like to advocate an all rodent diet but from what I have seen with other keeper's snakes... they do fantastic on it. My male concinnus will only eat thawed pinkies ever since he started eating them... and he in fact is now the biggest, most robust.. active male I have!!! And his skin is like velvet! haha...

[jitami]

Sly will only take rodents & live fish... with 95% of his diet being mice. Ella seems to prefer mice & live fish, won't touch tilapia, and grudgingly ate a worm... It's the babies that I'm still trying to figure out. Thankfully they'll eat anything so I get to choose what to stick with and, of course, I want what's best for them